Why did Britian want an Empire?

Comments (0)

Transcript of Why did Britian want an Empire?

Why did Britain want an Empire?Reason 2: MilitaryReason 3: FinancialGraph on the fall and rise of the empire ConclusionReason 1: PowerBritain always wanted to be better than their rivals countries such as Spain and France. They wanted to rise above their enemies and having an empire would show this. They were determined, which gave them their success. People in Britain wanted their own rights in a world they ruled. No control was wanted over them. They had conquered a third of the world so it made them the most powerful empire in the world. There fore they were protected. They wanted to organize the world and be the supreme rulers. Britain wanted to become respected and become the ultimate empire which they got. Reason 4: EconomicThis was another reason why Britain wanted an empire. They wanted a better economy. They wanted to bring up their economy by bringing rare, exotic, expensive, precious and critically acclaimed products (e.g. diamonds, fruits, clothes, cutlery etc.). By taking over other countries, they gained money and brought up their economy. Most of the trade was done within the Triangular Slave Trade where they captured people and shipped them off to work plants and then the products (raw materials) made there were shipped to Britain to be used to make new things to be used in trade etc. (guns, cotton, beer etc.)Trading RoutesThe British set up lots of trading routes which gave them most of their wealth. They used the East-India Trading Company to set up shops in remote areas and trade things for the things they could ship back home. Every place they conquered, they got a new opportunity to expand. When they expanded to Africa, New Guinea provided a place for many harbors. From there they sailed off to the east coast and into the Indian ocean. The trading routes there gave them access to the maritime gateway of China.The Triangular Slave TradeThe british had excellent boats and they liked to travel to all sorts of places, particularly those with indigenous populations of uneducated people like Africa. The Triangular Slave Trade was an important feature in the British empire, taking over 3 million black slaves as workers for the plantations in America. As you can see below, the Triangular Slave Trade in a more detailed form:Why the empire fellThe main reason the empire fell is because it was sacrificed in fighting two world wars to free Europe from tyranny. Fighting those wars crippled Britain economically and made maintaining an empire an impossibility. It was pretty obvious that even had Britain wanted to, there was no way it could enforce Empire control over any colony that wanted independence, particularly after having been bled so badly by World War II. The economic costs of the two world wars, coupled with rising defense costs and rising budget defects in the African colonies made the Empire unsustainable.One of the big reasons was salves. Britain wanted many slaves due to the fact that they were so large. They needed as many people as possible and when they turned to Africa. They brought many slaves from there as it was both an easy country to take over and there were many people there. Another reason was that they wanted to protect their land. They wanted to be safe and supreme. Military wise, an empire meant they could sustain a better army therefore more land could be taken over. A big part of this was the triangular slave trade. They captured slaves from Africa and sent to the plantations in the little island area (Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados) and America to work. The product or raw materials made there were then shipped back to Britain. They kept this cycle going until the trade was abolished in 18o7. Britain also conquered India's people. They sent this people to fight in the wars like world war 1. Trade was backed by naval power and efficient by handling of private and public credit (including substantial public borrowing via the bank of England.The Falling of the EmpireAn EmpirePowerThey wanted power over the whole world. Having an empire meant they could "show off" to their rivals. They could have everything they wanted which included creating their own rights.MilitaryThey were growing rapidly and needed more people in the army fighting for them so they could keep taking over more land. The cost for this would get in the way so capturing slaves and having them fight for Britain gave them advantages. That's why they won almost every war.FinancialMoney was the main reason everyone wanted an empire. It could help with so much. You could take over and take control of things which is what the british people wanted to do.EconomyHaving a great economy helped them trade and create new trading routes. Other countries wanted the same thing but didn't have access and the british were doing trade so it was good for both sides.The territories that were at one time or another part of the British Empire. The British Overseas Territories are underlined in red.The British Empire conquered in detail(not most accurate)This was the main reason for why Britain wanted an empire like every other country. They wanted a better economy. Money, first and foremost. They wanted to get more money by stealing, taxing, trade and business. This was the main reason they wanted an empire (and I think they were speaking for the majority when they were thinking of empire). They got an advantage because they spread so fast and captured so many slaves, they some what got a free army in my opinion. That cut the costs for the army by a lot and allowed them to make use of that money somewhere else.